Grapevine, Texas, will this summer become “the land before time” with a calendar of prehistoric events. 

Substantial dinosaur fossils have been unearthed at both Lake Grapevine and the area around Dallas Fort Worth International Airport; a new species, the Ampelognathus Coheni, was discovered as recently as 2020 at Lake Grapevine, and the area continues to be researched by paleontologists.

Here are several ways visitors can step back in time:

• The ‘Be the Dinosaur Exhibit’, located in the Grapevine Tower Gallery, features interactive learning games and immersive simulation pods. 
• Local shops and cafés along Historic Main Street offer dino-themed wares, including chocolate dinosaur lollipops from Dr. Sue’s Chocolate, dino cupcakes from Main Street Bistro and Bakery, and a chance to make your own dino eggs at Vetro Glassblowing Studio. Budding artists can help create an eight-foot dinosaur chalk mural at Holder Dane Gallery and Art Studios.
• Climb aboard Grapevine Vintage Railroad for ‘Dinos on the Tracks’, meeting dinosaurs onboard the historic train. Or walk through the mouth of a T-Rex into an elevator that shoots 150 feet in the air into the Grapevine Observation Tower.  
• Step into weekly dino ‘Cartoons and Crafts’ at the Lancaster Theatre or watch dinosaur movies at the Historic Palace Theatre. 
• Discover the dino dig garden at Historic Nash Farm and hear stories from the real-life “Bone Wars”.
•  Follow the Dino Trail along the C. Shane Wilbanks and Wall-Farrar Trails, keeping eyes peeled for fossil finds, or check out bones and fossils up close at the Grapevine City Hall lobby.
• Paleontology is brought to life at the Grapevine Public Library, where guest speakers chat fossils, ancient ecosystems and Grapevine’s own dinosaur discoveries. There are interactive games and educational activities on offer too.

Grapevine can be reached in 10 minutes by car or train from Dallas Fort Worth International airport and is the first stop of the western route of Route 66.

GrapevineTexasUSA.com/Dinosaurs